Constant flow beverage dispenser



Jan. 4, 1955 EL ROY J KRA 2,698,701

CONSTANT FLOW BEVERAGE DISPENSER Filed NOV. 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Roy If [fluff flu n J n- 4, 1 EL ROY J. KRAFT CONSTANT FLOW BEVERAGE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1951 United States Patent Q CONSTANT FLOW BEVERAGE DISPENSER ElRoy JjKraft,Des..,Plaines,--lll:, assignor to The Dole Valve Company, Chicago, Ill., :1 corporationof Illinois Application November 5,1951, Serial No..-254, 864- 7. Claims-1 (Cl; 22254-135).

This-invention relates to "improvements in fluid dispensers andmore-particularly relates 'to a constantflow beverage dis'penser'wherein' Constantvolumes of syrup and carbon dioxide are=de1iveredandmixed'for use.,.

A1 principal object of my invention isto: provide a novel "an'dsimplified form'of multiple; fluid dispenser delivering a eonsta'ntvolume of: ionefluid for mixture with a," proportionate constantvlolume of'another; regardless of; variationsin headof'saidone fluid'in a tank.

Another object off,my invention is to provide a' new andfimproved form of beverage dispenser: of a simplified construction arranged to deliver proportionate predetermined. constant flow volumesofi syrup, and carbonated water-for mixture, regardless;of"variations in head of the syrupand pressure of the water;

"Still another" object ofmy-invention is to provide-a simple andefiicient measuring device for fd-ispensers, de- 'livering a measured flow ofrliquid; unaffected by variations in head ofthe liquid in a tank.

.Anothenandmore detailed objectofimy invention'is to; provide a-newand improvedform of-measuring device for measuring agquantity or syrupand delivering a uniiformvolume of syrup, regardless of variations in head of'syrup in the syrup tank and bleedingan added quantityofsyrup in a measuredfiow, to make up for a proportionate volume of the syrup delivered.

vA further and more detailedobjectof my: invention is to provide a. simplified form of measuring device-for a syrup tank in the form of an invertedmeasuring cup opening toward theroutlet for the tank and. vented to the atmosphere, said measuring cupbeing movable to cover saidoutlet andsupply ameasured quantityof syrup to 'flow 'therethrough, and having, an" orifice in the wall there- 'of to deliver a measured volume-of make-upqsyrup to take care of a proportionate volume of the delivered syrup.

A further andmore' detailed object of my; invention is to provide, a beverage dispenser for'carbonated beverages including a; syrup, tank:havi ng an outlet lea'ding-therefrom and a measuring-device opening toward said-outlet and seated therein in; whichjicarbonated: 'water is supplied for mixture with the syrup 1 through a" capillary passage encircling? the outlet; and wherein the capillary-forms a valveseat .for the, measuring device and allows; the measuringj device. to move. into engagement with 'the outlet :opening in, the. tankflandfjdeliver a-measured vqlume of syrup.

Tl'lese. and.-otherobjects of. my. vinvention will; appear from time to' time ras the following specification proceeds and-with-reference to the accompanying drawings, where t -Eigure l is a fragmentary vertical sectional'viewiaken through: abeverage dispenser-constructed in, accordance with: my. Linvention, Withy certain. .parts-,..thereof broken away;

. Figure-. 2,-is air-enlargedtvert-ical sect-ional view taken through; the/dispensingvalye and tcap. i;llary*, withv parts of the. :measuringcup broken awayand shown a in section in onger; to illustrate-the,- vent therefrQmJodheatmosphere; an...

Figure is, a view somewhat similar to ,Eigurel ,2, but

showing the capillary and delivery .valve in anopenposit1on,,.to. deliver: amixture of, syrup and;c,arbonated water.

In the embodiment:ofmyinventionillustrated in the drawings I have shown generally a container 10 for the dispensing unit'havinganice or refrigerated tankll therein, and spaced: from the walls thereof and suitably insulated therefrom, Within: the ice tank 11. I have shown a; syruptank or can 12, open at its top, abovethe topofthe; ice tank and: having a sloping bottom 13 leading'to an upwardly opening cup 14, secured thereto and depending therefrom. The cup 14 holds a measured quantityof syrup :fordischarge through a central opening 15 in-the-bottomioflsaid cup. The central-opening 15 is shown as communicating with a capillary housing 16'depending from said cup and leading through the bottom of the ice tank 11' and container 10. i

Thecapillary housing ;16 formsa housing for a capillaryvalvememben17 and a passageway for carbonated water-between the-interior of'the wall thereof and the 'exterior-of'saidvalve member. The capillary member 17 is slidably mounted in the capillary.housing 16 for verticalmovemenbwithrespect thereto, into position to .deliver carbonated water along-the exterior of saidcapillary valve member,- and syrup through the hollow interior of said: capillary valve member for mixture with thevcarbonated water; as will hereinafter more clearlyappear.

Carbonated water may enter the bottom of the con tainer l0fthrough a flexible-tube 18in a fitting 19. Said tube is shown as being flanged at its ends and engaging opposite ends of said fitting. The fitting 19 is shown as being retained to the bottom of the casing 10 by a nut ZO 'engaging-theflange-of aretaining sleeve 21, secured to and depending from the b'ottom of the casing 103and having a tubeor pipe 23 for the carbonated water leading therefrom and connected-with a passageway 24 in a cool-- ing plate 25 extending along the bottom of the ice tank 11 The passageway 24 may, be; inthe form of a laby' rinthpassagewayextending along the entire bottom of saidcooling'platc to provide a tortuouspath for the carbonated wateralong thecooling plate 25, and has com- 'rnunication with a fitting '27 connected with the receiving end of a tube- 29 and retained thereto by a retaining nut 30. The deliveryend of the tube29 is shown as being connected-with a fitting 31, shown as being secured to the capillary housing 16 adjacent the upper end thereof, and

seat:"33- maybe made of nylon to resist any corrosive action of the carbonated water and isshown as having a frus-to-conical surface 35; at its upstream side, which forms a seat for a flow control washer 36. The flow control washer-36' operates on principles similar to that shown' 'and -described in Patent No. 2,454,929,"which.issuedto- LeslieA. 'Kempton on November 30, 1948; and

fiexeswithin the frusto-conical seat- 35 upon increases-in pressure of the carbonated water, resulting in a reductioriin area of the orifice therethrough and a constant deliveryvolume of the carbonated water, regardless of variations in pressure thereof, as has been shown and described, in the aforementioned patent to Leslie A.

Kempton, so notherein described further.

The tube18-in the fitting 19 is shown as being engaged by a generally spherical inner end of an engaging member"36, slidably mounted in a sleeve 37. The sleeve 37 extends. at right; angles'to'the tube 18 and within the fitting 19. The engaging member 36 may be secured, to a screw-39threaded in the sleeve 37. Thus, when the semi-spherical innerend of the engaging member 37 is engaged with-the tube 18 and one wall thereof is engaged with the other, the flow of carbonated water may be entirely shut off.

A drain-40,- which may lead to asuitable container or floor drainer the like leads" from the bottom of the ice tank 11 ,togtake care of the water from the melting ice.

' seated inanoutwardly opening groove formed in said capillary housing, abuts the inner periphery of the retaining collar 41 to seal said capillary housing thereto. The inner periphery of the capillary housing is shown as forming a generally cylindrical chamber for the capillary valve member 17 and has an enlarged diameter upper portion forming a continuation of the opening 15, and an intermediate wall portion 43 of a slightly reduced diameter, and with the exterior of the capillary valve member 17 forming a capillary chamber. Said housing also has a reduced diameter lower end portion 44 having an inwardly opening groove 45 therein, within which is fitted a packing member such as an O-ring 46. The O-ring 46 is shown in Figure 2 as engaging an enlarged diameter portion or land 47 at the lower end of the capillary 17, and when in engagement with said land forms a valve to block the discharge of carbonated water from the end of said capillary housing. When the capillary valve member 17 is moved downwardly within the housing 16 to clear the land 47 from the O-ring 46, as shown in Figure 3, carbonated water may be freely discharged past the O-ring 46 for mixture with the syrup at the discharge end of said capillary.

It should here be noted that since the O-ring 46 is mounted in the interior wall of the housing 16, the pressure of the carbonated water will act on said O-ring in a direction to force it within the groove 45 when the valve is opened, and afford a free passage of carbonated water thereby.

The capillary valve member 17 is herein shown as being of a tube-like formation, fitting within the capillary housing 16 and having an enlarged diameter upper end portion 48, having an O-ring 49 seated therein and engaging the inner wall of the capillary housing 16, to seal said wall against the leakage of syrup thereby and against the flow of carbonated water into the syrup tank 12.

Just beneath the upper end portion 48 of the capillary valve member 17 is a reduced diameter portion 50 having an O-ring 51 therein, engaging the reduced diameter wall 43 of the capillary housing 16 and sealing said wall against the passage of fluid thereby. The lower margin of the upper end portion 48 of the capillary member 17 abuts an inverted frustoconical shoulder 52 formed in the capillary housing 16 to limit downward movement of the capillary valve member 17. Immediately below the reduced diameter portion 50 of the capillary valve member 17 is a reduced diameter portion 53, which with the inner wall 43 of the capillary housing 16 forms an annular chamber for the carbonated water.

The reduced diameter portion 53 terminates into an outwardly spaced spiral passage 54, restricting and imparting a relatively high velocity spiral flow to the carbonated water as it passes the open valve formed by the land 47 and O-ring 46.

Carbonated water under pressure in the annular chamber formed between, the capillary valve member 17 and the inner wall of the housing 16 will exert pressure against the upper end of the land 47 and against the lower end of the enlarged diameter portion 50 of said capillary valve member, and since the effective area of the enlarged diameter portion of said capillary valve member is greater than the effective area of the shouldered portion of the land 47, the tendency will be for the pressure of the carbonated water to hold the capillary valve member 17 closed.

The lower end of the capillary valve member 17 just beneath the land 47 is shown as being threaded and as having a nozzle 56 threaded thereon on a transverse wall 57 thereof. The nozzle 56 extends upwardly and downwardly from the transverse wall 57 in the form of generally cylindrical walls. An annular balfie 58 of an inverted frusto-conical form abuts the shoulder formed by the lower end of the land 47 and the threaded lower portion of the capillary valve member 17 and is held in engagement therewith by the center transverse wall 57. The transverse wall 57 has a plurality of passages 59, 59 for the carbonated water extending vertically therethrough. The baffle 58 serves to deflect the carbonated water passing through the annular orifice at the end of the housing 16, outwardly toward the wall of the nozzle 56, and quiet the carbonated water so it will pass through the passageways 59, 59 for mixture with the syrup in a relatively quiescent state.

The upwardly extending portion of the annular wall of the nozzle 56 is shown as slidably engaging a sealing ring 60, mounted in the capillary housing 16, adjacent the lower end thereof and extending outwardly therefrom. The upper end portion of the wall of the nozzle 56 also forms a stop, to limit upward movement of the capillary valve member 17. A nut 61 is herein shown as being threaded on the lower end of the capillary valve member 17 and as abutting the bottom of the wall 57 and serving as a lock nut, to lock the nozzle 56 to said capillary valve member.

An orifice member 62 is herein shown as being threaded on the lower end of the capillary valve member 17 and as abutting the bottom of the nut 61, and forming a continuation of the inner passageway through said capillary valve member. The inner wall of the nozzle 62 is shown as being of an inverted frusto-conical form at its lower end, terminating into a knife-edge orifice, indicated by reference character 63. The knife-edge orifice 63 provides an orifice for flow of the syrup from the bottom of the capillary valve member 17, which exerts a minimum of frictional resistance against the flow of the syrup and thus assures a uniform flow of the syrup, regardless of changes in viscosity of the syrup due to temperature changes.

The constant flow measuring device and syrup valve of my invention is herein shown as being in the form of an inverted cup 65, opening toward the cup 14 and in vertical alignment therewith. When the capillary valve member 17 is in position to admit carbonated water to flow through the nozzle 56, an inverted frusto-conical valve surface 66 of the measuring cup will seat against a corresponding seat 67 of the cup 14 and form a valve to block the flow of syrup into the cup 14. An orifice is provided through the wall of said cup, adjacent its bottom to supply a predetermined flow of syrup within said cup, to make up a proportionate amount of the syrup flowing through the outlet 15.

The measuring cup 65 is herein shown as being mounted on a relatively heavy stem 68, which may be in the form of a weight, moving said measuring cup into engagement with the seat 67 by gravity when the capillary valve member 17 is in an open position. The weight or stem 68 terminates into a rounded lower end portion forming a valve 69 adapted to seat in a valve seat 70 formed in the upper end portion of the capillary valve member 17.

A valve stem guide 73 is secured to the bottom of the valve stem 68 and depends therefrom along the inner periphery of the capillary valve member 17. The valve stem guide 73 is shown as having a plurality of fins 74, 74 extending therealong which serve as a guide for the valve and valve stem as it is moved with respect to the capillary valve member 17, and also serve to still any tendency for the syrup to whirl as it passes for discharge through the knife-edge orifice 63. The valve stem guide 73 may be of any suitable tasteless and odorless material, not aifected by the syrup. One such material may be a nylon plastic material, which may readily be molded I into the desired form.

The valve stem 68 is shouldered adjacent its upper end, and the shouldered portion thereof fits within an open upper end portion of the measuring cup 65 and may be suitably secured thereto. The shouldered portion of the valve stem 68 is shown as extending upwardly from the top of the measuring cup 65 and as having a passageway 76 extending downwardly therealong within the cup 65 and intersected by a cross-drilled passageway 77 opening to the interior of said measuring cup to form a vent for said measuring cup when in a dispensing or measuring position. A vent tube 79 is shown as being mounted in the passageway 76 and as extending upwardly therefrom above the level of the syrup within the syrup tank 12, to provide a region of pressure within the cup 65 at substantially atmospheric pressure and unaffected by the head of syrup within the syrup tank 12.

The capillary valve member 17 may be moved vertically along the capillary valve housing 16 by means of an operating lever 80 pivoted at its inner end on a pivot pin 81, supported between ears 82,.82 depending from the bottom of the container 10. The operating lever 80 may be of a bifurcated form and may extend along opposite sides of the nozzle 56 and may be trunnioned thereto, as by trunnion pins 83, 83, pivotally engaging drilled recesses 84, 84 formed in opposite sides of said nozzle and extending within the transverse wall 57 thereof. From thence ,the lever 80 may extend outwardly and upwardly along 'the wall of the container 10 into a convenient location I for operation by the hand.

In operation of the dispenser, when pressure is exerted to depress"said: tever; e ber 17 w'illi1no've 1y 'o'fCtheE-capillaryfliousing16. A't thesarne' tithefth'e"weighted"rtieasdtingffcup ,65 will move downwardly with said capillary valveniember' until the valve portion- 66 thereof engages the seat 67 formed within the inside 'of"the"rirri of the cup" '14. Downward movement of the; measuring :cup 65E will-l-then stop and a=m easured, volume of syrup will ,be retained within the cups 14ahd"65." The'valve"69 willalso' be unseated from the valve seat 70, allowing syrup within the cups 14 and 65 to flow downwardly through the interior of the capillary valve member 17. The land 47 will also move downwardly out of engagement with the O-ring 46, allowing carbonated liquid to flow through the spiral capillary passage 54 and downwardly in the space between said passage and the land 47 into engagement with the baflle 58. This will deflect the carbonated water toward the wall of the nozzle 56, from whence it will pass downwardly through the passageways 59, 59 and through the bottom of the nozzle 56 in a relatively quiescent state, for mixture with the syrup passing thro'ughthe knife-edge orifice 63.

As just described, an amount of syrup will be discharged for mixture with carbonated water, equal to the volume of syrup in the cup 14 and the measuring cup 65. This gives a measured volume of syrup for mixture with the carbonated water. The wall of the measuring cup 65, however, has the make-up orifice 85 extending therethrough. This orifice is so calibrated as to supply a measured quantity of syrup into the interior of the measuring cup 65 and the cup 14, sufiicient to replace a proportionate amount of the syrup flowing through the interior of the capillary valve member 17 and supply a constant volume flow of syrup suflicient to maintain the uniform mixture of the carbonated water and syrup required for the final drink.

It is, of course, obvious that a number of orifices may be provided in the wall of the measuring cup 65, and that said orifices may be of varying cross-sectional area, dependent upon the volume of said measuring cup and the volume of incoming carbonated water for mixture with the syrup discharged through the interior of the capillary valve member 17, and that the governing factor is to maintain the flow of syrup substantially constant to mix with a proportionate constant volume of carbonated water, so that the end result will be a uniformly mixed drink of the correct proportions.

It may be seen from the foregoing that when the valve 66 comes into engagement with the seat or the rim of the cup 14, a measured quantity of syrup is trapped for discharge through the interior of the capillary valve member 17 and is made up by syrup passing through the orifice 85, and that this measured quantity of syrup flowing for discharge through the knife-edge orifice 63 will be unafiected by variations in head of the syrup within the syrup tank 12.

It may further be seen that with the dispenser of my invention, the valve 17, with the capillary housing 16, forms a capillary passageway for the carbonated water and also forms a valve means therefor, controlling the discharge of the carbonated water from the dispenser for mixture with the syrup, and also forms a valve seat for the syrup valve, controlling engagement of the cup 65 with the rim of the syrup cup 14, to initiate the flow of syrup through the interior of said capillary valve member.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention: 1

1. In a constant flow dispenser, a liquid-containing tank, an outlet in the bottom of said tank, a hollow measuring device within said tank in alignment with said outlet and opening toward said outlet, means venting said measuring device to the atmosphere, means movable to engage said measuring device with said outlet to close the same and supply a measured quantity of liquid thereto, and said measuring device having an orifice in a wall thereof admitting a measured flow of liquid thereto upon engagement of said measuring device with said-outlet, to make up for liquid flowing through said outlet.

2. A constant flow dispenser comprising a syrup tank, a syrup outlet from the bottom of said tank, a hollow measuring device opening to said outlet and vented to the atmosphere, a valve associated with said measuring device cup to the atmosphere, a valve associated with said cup to block the flow of fluid through said outlet when said cup is out of engagement with said outlet, means opening said valve and moving said measuring device into engagement with said outlet to measure a quantity of fluid for discharge through said outlet, and an orifice in the Wall of said cup adjacent the lower end thereof accommodating the flow of a measured volume of fluid therethrough to make up for a proportionate amount of the fluid passing through said outlet upon engagement of said rim outlet.

4. In a constant flow dispenser, a liquid supply tank having an outlet in the bottom thereof, a hollow measuring device closed at its top and open at its bottom in axial alignment with said outlet, means venting said measuring device to the atmosphere, means supporting said measuring device above said outlet and releasing said measuring device to engage said outlet and isolate a quantity of liquid for discharge therethrough, means admitting a measured volume of syrup to said measuring device to make up for syrup withdrawn therefrom, and said outlet communicating with an orifice member having a knifeedge orifice to afford a constant flow of liquid regardless of variations in viscosity thereof due to temperature changes.

5. In a constant flow dispenser, a tank containing a viscous liquid and having an outlet in the bottom thereof, a measuring device opening to said outlet and including a downwardly opening cup vented to the atmosphere and having a valve surface at its rim and seating on said outlet to measure a quantity of liquid for discharge through said outlet and having an orifice in the wall thereof to supply a measured quantity of liquid to make up for a proportionate volume of liquid passing through said outlet, and said outlet communicating with a vertically spaced discharge orifice member having a knife-edge orifice to afford a constant flow of liquid regardless of variations in viscosity thereof due to temperature changes.

6. In a constant flow dispenser, a liquid-containing tank having a recessed valve seat defining an outlet through the bottom of said tank, a measuring device opening to said outlet and including a downwardly opening cup vented to the atmosphere and having a valve surface on its rim seating on said seat to measure a quantity of liquid for discharge through said outlet, and also having an orifice in the wall thereof to supply a measured quantity of liquid to make up for a propgrtionate volume of liquid passing through said outlet, a valve member in said outlet engageable with said measuring device and supporting said measuring device in vertically spaced relation with respect to said outlet when said valve member is in position to block the flow of liquid through said outlet and moving into position to accommodate the flow of liquid through said outlet, and said valve member having a passageway leading therethrough in communication with said outlet and terminating in a knife-edge orifice to afford a constant flow of liquid regardless of variations in viscosity thereof due to temperature changes.

7. A constant flow beverage dispenser comprising a syrup tank, a syrup outlet from the bottom of said tank, a capillary housingcommunicating with said outlet and depending therefrom, a passageway for carbonated water leading into said capillary housing through a wall thereof and having constant volume flow control means therein for supplying a constant volume of carbonated water for mixing with the syrup regardless of variations in head of the water, a capillary valve member movable within said capillary housing and having a wall portion engageable therewith to control the flow of carbonated liquid therethrough, said capillary valve member having a central passage extending vertically therethrough and the upper end of said passage forming a valve seat, a valve member id outlet'and isolate a. measured volumeof engageable with said seat and extending upwardly therefrom, a measuring cup secured to said valve member and opening toward the bottom thereof and having a rim engageable with said outlet, a vent tube venting said measuring cup to atmosphere, an orifice leading through a wall of said cup for supplying a measured quantity of syrup thereto, means for vertically moving said capillary valve member into position for the discharge of carbonated water through the bottom of said capillary housing and for disengaging said seat from said valve and 10 2,454,595

8 releasing said cup to engage said opening, and a knifeedge orifice at the discharge end of said passageway through said capillary valve member providing a constant fiow of syrup therethrough regardless of variations in 5 viscosity thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cramer, Jr. Nov. 23, 1948 

